IMPLICATIONS OF PUBLIC POLICIES ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL AND MEDIUM SCALE ENTERPRISES (SMES) IN NIGERIA: THE CORONAVIRUS IMPACT

The advent of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic brought about a lot of difficulties to businesses especially the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) because of the government’s imposed lockdown and, restrictions on movements and interaction. Thus, several public policies were and are being developed to help sustain and develop these entities. Consequently, this study examined the implications of the Covid-19 pandemic influenced public policies on the organic and internal developments of some selected SMEs in Nigeria, particularly in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The study administered copies of the 5-point Likert scale questionnaire on 250 SMEs randomly but equally selected from five different sectors including ICT, vehicle spare parts, poultry farming, fashion designing, carpentry and woodwork; and 194 copies representing 77.6% were retrieved. Subsequently, the gathered data were analyzed using the simple percentage and version 24 of the multiple regression statistical techniques. Consequently, the study found that the Covid-19 pandemic influenced public policies have significantly impacted on the developments of these selected SMEs in Nigeria. Thus, it was recommended that the government should sustain and improve on related public policies and actions in order to continue to aid the establishments, sustenance and developments of SMEs in the country.